My first salt water aquarium .. (1 Viewer)

[davidsugarland]

so, I am nervous
3 week new, 65 G, Glo T5 HO 39W white 39W blue, 6 lbs live fiji live rock, live sand, REna Filstar XP filter, 2 damsels haft blue haft yellow.

I made a big mistake : used TAP water !
I wonder what steps should I take now to prevent an outbreak of algae ?? It would be a nightmare !
- Start over, change the water, refill the tank with RO water (from Fishland, 3G for $1) . I don't want waste all that expensive salt already in the tank! Besides, I have to think how to transport 60G of RO water home !
- Add a Nitra Zorb bag ($20) to the Rena Filter to remove ammonia, nitrite, nitrate . Would it work ?
- Turn the light off : would this hurt the live rock, live sand ??
And you best advice would be ???!!! Thanks.

 

[Llama]

Welcome!

First things first, don't freak out. I also started my very first system with tap water. It's not that big a deal. As long as you stop using it from now on. Also, the light is not needed during your cycle. Which will take at least a month.

Ok here's the steps I would take:

1. Remove damsels - no living creature should be in that system while it cycles. It is torture. ALSO, you will regret having them in the system when they start bullying every other fish you add to the system. Pull them now while you have the small amount of rock and can easily catch them.

2. Time to thing about what your plan is for this tank. Do you want it to be a reef tank? Or are your only plans for a FOWLR (fish only with live rock)?

Answer this and we will be able to help you with what steps you need to take to get off to a great start!

 

[davidsugarland]

OK ..I am good, cool now
Actually, this is only a test run for me. I use this tank to learn the art and science of reef aquarium !
One reason is that the kids want "Nimo" , so that wil be a Nimo tank
Then I will have to learn which species could live with Nimo anh add a few to the tank. Eventually, I plan to add some soft corals which can take low light. (2 T5 HO)
In the mean time, I will learn how to make a sump, how to make artificial porous rock.
In the future, I can add one more fixture of 36" T5 HO and add a few more corals.
I am sure I will need help / advice along the way

 

[RocketSurgeon]

http://icecapinc.com/informationcenter/articles/caring-for-the-fish-of-finding-nemo

 

[Llama]

Cool!

Sounds like a great idea. Most softies will be just fine on w/ that lighting.

Also remember, unless you want to see nemo being chased around the tank with the fear of god in it's eyes. Remove those damsels! The tank will cycle fine by adding some fish food into the system or by adding a piece of frozen shrimp in a media bag.

Next things you need to be looking into:
1. SKIMMER!!!! Most important for keep water quality good.

2. A good quality test kit. The best one I'd recommend for a new reefer is the API master saltwater test kit. You can get it at petsmart and it comes with everything you need to watch your cycle take place. Ammonia, Nitrite, Nitrate, Ph. Get them and start testing every couple of days.

3. Powerheads - These little underwater fans are key for creating wave like currents in your new tank. They keep fish and corals happy, and help keep detritus and other yucks in the water column so that they can be filtered out. I would recommend looking into the Koralia Evolution 750's. They are cheap, quiet, and very well made.

Regarding a future sump:
Is the tank drilled?

Next thing to look into that rena filter. Canister filters are generally something that reefers avoid. You CAN pull it off with one until you can add a sump, HOWEVER you MUST stay up on cleaning and changing filter media religiously to keep water quality good. If it were me though, I'd be looking for something else in the very near future.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

did someone say "sump"?

http://www.melevsreef.com/acrylics/sumps/j/sump_model_j.html

 

[davidsugarland]

Rocket : Just saw your DIY sump in the DIY Forum. Great job ! Wish I was there when you building it !
It will take me months to learn everything from that website , Thanks.

Llama:
I actually have a powerhead (that can change directions!) in the cabinet, will plug it in soon !
-Skimmer: would you recommand a good size skimmer,not so expensive. Relatively, sump and skimmer , which one is more should I ghatet first ?
- That Rena canister filter is super quiet, I will use it for the fresh water tank until I can buy/build a sum.
There will be a Fall Swap meeting at Memoria Park, Sugarland on Oct 17 ..I will see what available there. The Park is only about 1 mile from our house, so convenient

 

[mario8402]

if the powehead you have is a zoo-med powersweep, take it back and get your money back those things are garbage. I had one when I got my first tank and that was my first purchase as well.. it lasted about 3 weeks ... I wish someone would have given me that advice when i first started lol

as far as sump vs skimmer.... first you need to decide what type of skimmer... if you are getting an internal skimmer, you will need the skimmer first so you will know how big to make the sump compartment.. if you are getting an external then you still probably want it first so you know how large of a sump you can get and still fit it all in your cabinet. OR maybe you want a HOB skimmer but those clutter the tank and defeats the purpose of having a sump

 

[RocketSurgeon]

My skimmer sits inside my sump.

After looking at my picture, I need to move that electrical outlet.

 

[Llama]

Tough choice to make there. It's really up to you.

Depends on how much stuff you want hanging on the back of the tank.

If you don't mind having a skimmer hanging on the back of your tank you could go with a HOB (hang on back) skimmer.

If you, like me, want the back and top as clean as possible then you need to be looking for a skimmer that sits inside your sump.

This also has to be taken into account when think what size and design you want for your sump. If you have an in sump skimmer you will need the space for it. You will also need the bubble trap baffles in place to stop micro bubbles from entering your display.

So first, decide if you want a skimmer hanging on the back of the tank or in the the sump. Then from there we can point you to a skimmer, and even a sump design that will work.

Skimmer brands to start looking at:
Bubble Magus NAC6
Reef Octopus
E-shopps also makes some very nice and very cheap skimmers

What are the dimensions of your tank?

36x18x21????

How much room is in your stand and what type of openings does it have?

Post pics for the most help.

ALSO, you are going to need much more than 6 lbs of liverock. I forgot to mention that earlier. Best rule of thumb is 1 lb to 1 gallon ratio. Some do more, some do less. Generally those that have less in the display have more in the sump as the rock is VERY important for the filtration of the water.

 

[Llama]

My skimmer also sits in my sump. This is the Bubble Magus NAC7 cone skimmer.

 

[davidsugarland]

The powerhead is ...ZooMed SP40 powersweep!
I got it, like new, at a garage sale

The tank is 36x24x18
The cabinet is wide open, front and back. I rather hind everything out of sight.

I will read more about skimmer and sump. I've saw them at stores but never been explained how it work !

Back to the subjet od live rock . I am thinking of adding some dry rock to the tank to bring the live rock closer to the light. I checked out the dry rock at many stores but concerned about the weight! 50-60 lbs of rock seem to be a lot to me ! That why I am thinking of learning to make porous rock. What kind of rock most people use? Is there a source for porous rock in Houston area? Or should I go for this Key Largo rock from Macro Rock ?
http://www.marcorocks.com/index.asp?PageAction=VIEWCATS&Category=14

 

[davidsugarland]

Here are some photos ..if I can attach them .

 

[RocketSurgeon]

Great beginning! After another 50 lbs or so of live rock, you'll be set!

http://www.fjwaquarium.com/index2.html

 

[Llama]

Lookin good! Marco rock is a great source for dry rock.

I personally would lean toward stocking most of the weight with actual dry rock from a place like Marco. That way you are not waiting for your homemade to cure. Not to mention that fact that they can start falling apart if not done correctly.

Save the homemade rock project for special accent pieces such as shelves and stuff.

Grab up a 50# box of the dry stuff from Marco and call it a day. You will love the pieces you get.

 

[trb]

Great beginning! After another 50 lbs or so of live rock, you'll be set!

http://www.fjwaquarium.com/index2.html

Just what I was going to say on the live rock. Dennis will have plenty, at a very reasonable price. (less than that mail order place per pound!) He had a big brute can full of rock in his store last time I was there.

And once you stop by there, you will be hooked on his stuff! And I'm not talking about his liquor store either!

I would get some more from Dennis and then if you get lucky and find some dry rock locally for like $1-2 a lb, you can use it for your base rock. That's what I did and it worked out fine.

There are a few people on here that made their own rock, bad thing is you have to let it cure for several weeks/months before you can use it in your tank.

 

[Llama]

Dennis is the man! You can never go wrong with FJW aquarium.

Not only is his livestock top notch, his knowledge on the subject will be very helpful for a new reefer such as yourself.

 

[RocketSurgeon]

Great beginning! After another 50 lbs or so of live rock, you'll be set!

http://www.fjwaquarium.com/index2.html

Just what I was going to say on the live rock. Dennis will have plenty, at a very reasonable price. (less than that mail order place per pound!) He had a big brute can full of rock in his store last time I was there.

Dennis, I'm sure, gives discount to Marsh members!

 

[trb]

[quote="trb] Dennis will have plenty, at a very reasonable price. (less than that mail order place per pound!) He had a big brute can full of rock in his store last time I was there.
[/quote]

Oops, didn't see their special prices further down on the website. But look at it this way, you will pay just a little bit more per lb for local LIVE rock you can pick out yourself, than getting a box of DRY rock.

 

[Llama]

One more thing. IF you go see Dennis, be sure to ask if the rock he has came from someone else's system. You have to be careful buying older rock as is can have major phosphate build up inside that can start leaching back out into your system causing major algae issues.

This is why I tend to avoid buying LR from individuals. Our rock is only good for 8 or so years depending on the system it was kept in. HOWEVER, Dennis is a very honest guy and will let you know which rock came from where.

Keep us posted.